'How To Live With Your Parents': Season 1, Episode 5: 'How to Run the Show' Recap

Julian is freeloading, as usual, before he goes to clean the highway he adopted.

Polly chases Natalie through the room. Apparently, she has discovered that she possesses all the power in their relationship, and is using that to refuse to go to soccer. Julian tries to assist but works on negotiation—Max and Elaine remind Polly that she is the boss, and she needs to be stronger, but Polly insists Natalie will grow up well adjusted.

Natalie comes in dressed for soccer—in a princess outfit.

Nope. Polly brings her to work, and she rifles through the coffee beans, upsetting Gregg. Polly’s phone, buried now in the beans, rings. It’s Hot Scott. He wants to get together, but Natalie has tap class and Polly doesn’t think she will have time.

Polly finds her daughter in the cheese display.

At home, Elaine is surprised she turned down a date with Hot Scott. Elaine thinks maybe Natalie doesn’t need as much attention as Polly thinks she does. She offers to watch Natalie, shocking her daughter, since the reason Polly is so determined to cater to Natalie’s every need is because they never put Polly first as a child and gave her a gaping black hole in her heart.

Polly goes to Scott’s, wearing a short coat over a sexy get-up. Oops; Scott’s boys are over.

Max and Elaine take Natalie to the jazz festival, which she hates. She sees a goat and is determined to pet it, but when they tell her no, she pitches a fit. They are determined not to indulge her as she screams, but they give in and let her pet the goat.

They decide to tie a balloon to her wrist and go off on their own, figuring they can see her as she wanders the crowd.

Polly and Scott take his sons out for fast food, and they throw fries at Polly. Polly realizes that if she keeps giving into Natalie, things will only get worse. They end up on a train in the park, as the boys hit them in the head with inflatable hammers. Polly has her epiphany, and she and Scott take the hammers and stop the train, ready to stand up for themselves.

Elaine and Max are dancing, their eye on Natalie… only they realize that the balloon seems to be everywhere. It is a very popular balloon. They lost their granddaughter.

Free in the car, Scott and Polly are taking back the power. They decide to go to the wine and jazz festival. The boys protest and throw fries out the window. Polly has Scott pull over… and puts the boys to work helping Julian cleaning up the side of the highway.

Max and Elaine search frantically for Natalie. They see Polly coming in and the search intensifies. They don’t see that she is still with the goats. As Elaine is panicking at a table, Natalie wanders back up. She says she had fun and can’t wait to tell Polly.

In negotiation for her to not tell her mother, Natalie insists they buy her a goat. Polly comes up and scolds her parents for indulging her, and tells her she’s going home and going to bed. Natalie has a fit and says she doesn’t want to go home.

Natalie gets put to work on the side of the highway.

At bedtime, Max and Elaine admit that not giving into Natalie is difficult, and Polly tells them she knows Natalie was lost. Natalie said it made her feel like a big girl. Polly admits as a little girl she knew how to take care of herself.